NAME
Test::Common - Simple, Reusable Module Tests
SYNOPSIS
From the command line:
> test-common help
> test-common config
> edit t/common.yaml
> test-common update
Optionally, in your Module::Install based Makefile.PL:
use inc::Module::Install;
...
# Keep common tests up to date
test_common_update;
DESCRIPTION
There are many module unit tests that are either exactly the same or
slightly different, from dist to dist. Test::Common is a framework for
distributing and sharing these common tests. (The hope is...) By having
many authors contribute to common test pools, not only will it be easier
to write common tests fast, it will help expose where specific tests
need to be written, and common ways to set these tests up.
As a module author, you maintain a configuration file called
"t/common.yaml", which contains information on all the common tests you
want to use. These tests can come from Common::Test or any other module
that distributes tests in the same way.
The common test scripts are files under the share/ directory. These
files are actually Template Toolkit templates. Test::Common renders the
templates into real test files (using data from t/common.yaml) every
time you run the command "test-common update".
CONFIGURATION
When you run:
test-common config
you get an example "t/common.yaml" file. Edit it. There are comments
inside exlaining the basics. For a given entry, like:
- test: foo-bar.t
all the data in that hash gets passed to Template Toolkit to render the
test's template. Simple.
To rename a test, do:
- test: foo-bar.t
name: test-foo-bar.t
EXTENDING
To create a package of your own common tests, put .t files into a share
directory, so they get installed by "make install", et al. Then other
authors can add your test package to the 'sources' list of their
"t/common.yaml" file.
COMMIT OR CLEAN?
Since Test::Common tests are always generated, it is your choice whether
or not to commit the rendered tests. The only file you really ever need
is "t/common.yaml".
The config file has a "clean" setting that allows you to control what:
common-tests clean
does. If you use the Module::Install plugin then you can just do:
make clean
AUTHOR
Ingy döt Net
COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE
Copyright (c) 2011. Ingy döt Net.
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
under the same terms as Perl itself.
See http://www.perl.com/perl/misc/Artistic.html